Electromagnetic relay



Jlllw'30, 1942. A. GAEBl-:L ETAL 2,288,186

ELECTROMAGNETIVC RELAY Filed April 26, 1938 4link/rey Patented June 30, 1942 ELEcTnoMAoNE'rIc RELAY Alfred Gaebel 'and Hans-Fredi Schwartz, Berlin,

Germany, assignors to C. Lorenz Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin-Tempelhof, Germany, a com- Dany Application April 26, 1938, Serial No. 204,441 In Germany May 4, 1937 8 claims. (ci. zoo- 87) The present invention relates -to electromagnetic relays and more specifically to the type of relays which are adapted to operate in vacuum.

It is a well known expedient to place the contacts oi an electromagnetic relay within a vacuum container in order to avoid operation troubles which may occur due to the 'oxidation of the contact elements and to secure high voltage contact make and break free of arcings. De vices of the type heretofore known involve the disadvantage that the various elements under voltage load are provided in relatively close proximity to one another. 'Ihe switching at high voltages, therefore, causes flash-over from one element to other elements and particularly to such located externally with respect. to the tube.

The invention has for its object to provide a vacuum relay which reliably operates at the highest voltages, in the order of 10,000 volts, for example. This is accomplished according to the invention by arranging the contact elements on an armature of insulation which also carries the magnetization responsive portion'which is adapted .to be influenced by the electromagnet or elec-` tromagnets of the vacuum relay. The corresponding magnet portions of old constructions are generally employed as conductors for the operating voltage so that flash-over from the interior to the exterior of the tube was not reliably prevented.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned view of one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a cross section alongthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1; while Fig. 3 is a further cross section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

A vacuum container 2 of vitreous substance, for example, is attached by cementing to a socket I of ceramic material. This socket may serve as a handle when the vacuum relay is brought into any suitable support for attachment. Two rods l and 5 of insulation are sealed into the stem which is integral with the envelope or container 2. These rods serve as supports for the contacts and switching means of the vacuum relay. The upper end of the longer lrod 4 carries a clip or clamp 6 to which a movable armature unit 'I is hinged. In the form shown the armature unit includes a at strip 9 of insulation, e. g. ceramic material, a hinge member 8 movablv attached to the clip or clamp 6, and

magnetization responsive members III which are u adapted to be influenced by the electromagnets I5. The contact elements II effecting the opening and the closing of the operating circuits in to-operation with the ixed contact points i4 and I5 are arranged at the lower end of the armature unit.

The current is applied to the device partly over the lead-in conductor I2 sealed to one end of the vacuum container and associated with the fixed contact element I4, and partly over the wires I3 which are carried through the stem. One of these last mentioned wires is connected to the movable contact ele'- ment II while the other leads to the fixed contact element I5. The members I0 of the armature structure are arc-shaped so as to leave a narrow space only between these members and the cores of the electromagnets I6 of the relay. Since these members I0 are not connected to any electric load, any possibility for hash-over to the electromagnets through the wall of the envelope or container. is reliably avoided. The shape of the contact elements, moreover, permits the make and break of a plurality of circuits.

In operation magnetic fields produced by electromagnets I6 act on the magnetization responsive members I0 and move the armature towards points I4 or I5 depending on the magnet energized or polarity of energization thus completing external circuits which may be connected to lead-in conductors I2 and I3. The electromagnets I6 may be energized by any suitable source.

What is claimed ls:

1. In an electromagnetic relay, an evacuated envelope, a stemfforming part of said envelope, a

relatively long and a relatively short rod of insulating material embedded in said stem and projecting therefrom, a flat 'strip of insulating material hingedly supported on the free end ofthe long rod, the free end of the flat strip being adjacent the free end of the short insulating rod,. contacts carried. by the at strip near its end,

envelope fastened to said flat strip intermediate' its ends, and electromagnets outside of said envelope in alignment with said iron plates.

2. An electromagnetic relay comprising an evacuated envelope, a support 'within said envelope and attached thereto, an armature unit including a strip of insulating material, contacts attached to said strip, and magnetization responsive members attached to said strip and insulated fromv said '.contacts, means for hinging said armature .unit to said support, p'ole pieces outside said envelope in proximity to said magnetization responsive members, contacts xedly attached to said envelope and cooperating with 'said armature unit contacts, and lead-in conductors connected to said contacts, whereby flashover to said pole pieces via said magnetization responsive members is avoided.

ALFRED GAEBEL. HANS -FREDI SCHWARTZ. 

